A strange phenomenon...the death of millions of fish on the shores of Japan

2023-12-09 2023-12-09T08:54:18Z

ArabiaWeather - The beaches in northern Japan were exposed to an unusual phenomenon , as thousands of tons of dead fish were washed ashore by waves, raising questions about the impact of the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, as this incident occurred only three months after the country began... Releasing treated water into the sea.

Sardines and some mackerel washed up on Hakodate Beach on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, and the waves created a silvery blanket extending nearly a mile from shore, sparking environmental concern.

Although officials have not yet been able to provide an official explanation for this phenomenon, Takashi Fujioka , a researcher at the Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute, has put forward several theories as to what might be causing the fish to die en masse.

An unusual phenomenon of dead fish washing up on beaches in Japan

According to his statements, researcher Takashi Fujioka believes that the dead fish that washed ashore in northern Japan may have become exhausted as a result of a lack of oxygen while moving in shallow waters. Another reason may be that they suddenly entered cold waters during their migration, which could lead to them being exposed to... To shock.

Several areas on the Japanese coast have witnessed similar cases previously, but it appears that this current phenomenon occurred only three months after Japan re-released treated radioactive water into the sea, and this move angered neighboring countries such as China and South Korea, as China imposed a ban on seafood. The Japanese strongly criticized Japan, describing it as "extremely selfish and irresponsible."

In response to these events, demonstrators in South Korea attempted to enter the Japanese embassy in Seoul carrying banners denouncing Japan's policy, and local residents in Hakodate confirmed that they had never witnessed such incidents before.

While some collected fish for sale or consumption, the town urged residents to refrain from eating them in an advertisement published on its website. Fujioka indicated that the decomposition of fish can reduce oxygen levels in the water and affect the marine environment, and concluded his statement with a warning not to eat fish. Because they do not know conclusively about the circumstances of the death of these fish.

Effects of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima

In March 2011 , the Fukushima Power Plant was damaged by a devastating earthquake and tsunami, disrupting the plant's cooling systems and causing three reactors to melt.

Currently, radioactive water is drained through an undersea tunnel, where it is treated using an advanced fluid treatment system. This system relies on a process called “isotopic dilution” to reduce the level of danger. This is done by adding tritium - which is a radioactive isotope with a lower impact - to The polluted water is then mixed with “clean seawater” , which reduces the concentration of harmful substances.

Japanese officials have confirmed the safety of the treated water, but critics point to a lack of long-term data, making it difficult to confidently assert that tritium does not pose a threat to human health or the marine environment.

Greenpeace reported that radiation risks had not been fully assessed, and that the biological effects of tritium had been ignored and not evaluated.